Church decline

Over the last three weeks I have read with interest your letter pages on religion and science (Letters, 14 May to 5 June).

There can be no doubt that Christianity in the UK is now in (possibly terminal) decline. The reasons for this are not difficult to ascertain by anyone who follows the deliberations of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, or the ­public statements and actions of the Archbishop of Canterbury, or, more seriously, the disgraceful ­response (or lack thereof) of the Catholic Church to the abuse of some children in its care.

The public is nowadays willing to complain, debate and generally participate in the market place of ideas regarding religion. The reason they are not afraid to do so is because they have at hand two of the most powerful tools known to humankind: an education and the freedom to speak – the very tools that Christianity kept from them for thousands of years.

The Christian church in this country is seen as socially divisive and hypocritical. Can there be a more divisive and hypocritical position than the Christian church’s present stance on homosexuality and status of women in society?

These two issues alone serve to show how completely out of touch and ­irrelevant the Christian church is today in our country.

Education long ago revealed the fact that there are moral and ethical systems which are not based on fear and ignorance, and which do not owe their legitimacy to the existence and worship of an all-powerful deity.